Preparations for 2012 have got off to a flying start for Team GB’s show jumpers, with Nick Skelton and Unique winning a class at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida.

A number of leading riders and horses have made tracks to Florida to compete at Wellington to catch some winter sun and aid preparations for the 2012 London Olympics.

Nick does it again 

The class was the first in the in the Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series. The Series will return this year with the $50,000 Leading Horse/Rider Combination Award, and Skelton won last year's first prize of $25,000.

Six riders were clear in the first round and returned for the jump-off. Katherine Dinan (USA) came back first on Nougat du Vallet, owned by Grant Road Partners, and set a solid clear round in 40.067 seconds, which would hold up for fifth place. Olympic gold medalist Leslie Howard (USA) and Lennox Lewis II were next, but they had four faults in 38.190 seconds for sixth place.

The lead changed hands when Alexa Pessoa and her mare Madison lowered the winning time to 38.533 seconds with no faults. They would finish in third place. Cian O'Connor (IRL) and Everything (owned by Abdulla Humaid Al Muhairi) were also clear, but with a slightly slower time in 38.634 seconds for fourth place.

Fellow Irishman Darragh Kenny and The Wannahave Group's Wannahave took the lead next with a speedy 38.375 second jump-off time, and they would finish in second place. As the last in the ring, Skelton and Unique had the prime position to know the time to beat with no competitors left.

Skelton took advantage of this and pressed Unique around the shortened course. They won handily by almost two seconds in 36.537 seconds.

In his own words

It was a good weekend for the pair, who also placed second in last night's $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix. "He felt good. He's fresh," Skelton commented. "This is the fourth time he's jumped this week, but he's in a good swing now and he's going well. I thought after last night that I might as well jump him today. There weren't too many in it. I'll rest him now this week. I might jump him next Sunday and see how he goes. I'll start Carlo next week."

Regarding the jump-off, Skelton said, "I did watch Darragh go, and I thought, 'Just keep it tight.' He's a fast horse, and he'd been around this last night so he knew where he was going!"

Nick also commented that Unique, a 2001 KWPN gelding by Indoctro x Voltaire, is "in his prime, he's a good horse to do anything with. If he really put his mind to it, he could do everything. He's well above his station in the 1.50s really. Luckily I've got the other two horses so he doesn't have to do the top classes."

On his successful week, Skelton said with a smile, "It's always nice to get off to a good start. It's keeping it up that's the hardest thing. We've got 11 weeks to go."

Final Results: $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

1 UNIQUE NICK SKELTON BEVERLEY WIDDOWSON: 0/0/36.537

2 WANNAHAVE DARRAGH KENNY THE WANNAHAVE GROUP: 0/0/38.375

3 MADISON ALEXA PESSOA ALEXA PESSOA: 0/0/38.533

4 EVERYTHING CIAN O'CONNOR ABDULLA HUMAID AL MUHAIRI: 0/0/38.634

5 NOUGAT DU VALLET KATHERINE DINAN GRANT ROAD PARTNERS: 0/0/40.067

6 LENNOX LEWIS 2 LESLIE HOWARD PETER HOWARD: 0/4/38.190

7 RADIO CITY VICTOR AMAYA GOTHAM ENTERPRIZES: 4/76.993

8 WOODSTOCK O LAURA KRAUT JOAN KALMAN: 4/80.499

9 DRYDEN YANN CANDELE ARIEL AND SUSAN GRANGE: 4/82.545

10 ATHENA JENNIFER SANTANA SANTANA STABLES, LLC: 4/82.902

11 O'CONNELL STREET CIAN O'CONNOR RONOCCO JUMP LTD & LANDER DE BRUYN: 4/83.510

12 ALLIGATOR ALLEY CIAN O'CONNOR SINEAD & OONAGH KENNEDY: 5/86.325